OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST Nastia Liukin saw her hopes of a place at London 2012 dashed in California last night.
The American gymnast was individual all-round champion in Beijing four years ago but has suffered from a bad shoulder injury since and her disappointing performance in the Team Trials brings an illustrious career to a bitter end.
Liukin, competing in the bar and beam, fell flat on the mat after missing the bar but the 22-year-old picked herself up to finish out the routine and received a standing ovation from the 18,000-strong crowd at San Jose’s HP Pavilion.
Getting up after a fall is never easy,” Associated Press report her as saying. “It’s always very tough. It shows your true character if you are able to get up and that’s something I’ve been taught since I was 8 years old.”
“Seeing all of the thousands of people on their feet, you couldn’t have planned out a better way to end a career,” she added.
YouTube credit: AugerVideo
(h/t: World of Sport)
